Dry eye disease is a major eye condition throughout the world for which no permanent cure is currently available. For example, it has been estimated that the current average annual cost of treating dry eye disease amounts to $850 per person (Yu, J., Andre, C. V., and Fairchild, C. J. “The economic burden of dry eye disease in the United States: a decision tree analysis.” Cornea 30 4 (2011): 379-387). Epidemiological estimates of frequency of incidence of dry eye disease vary widely, depending on the symptoms being monitored. For example, Friedman reports that the incidence of dry eye disease ranges from 5% to 35% globally (Friedman, N. “Impact of dry eye disease and impact on quality of life.” Current Opinion in Ophthalmology 21 (2010): 310-316).
Current treatments include the use of lubricants (e.g., hydroxymethyl and sodium carboxypropyl cellulose, generally known as artificial tears), anti-inflammatory therapies (e.g., corticosteroids and immunomodulators such as cyclosporin), tear retention therapies (e.g., punctal plugs), and treatment of underlying causes such as meibomian gland dysfunction, lid abnormalities, etc. These treatments have been shown to have a mild to moderate improvement in the quality of life of the patient. For example, the Lacrisert® ophthalmic insert (Aton Phama, Lawrenceville, N.J.), a hydroxypropyl cellulose ophthalmic insert placed in the inferior eyelid cul-de-sac, was shown to have a 21% improvement in ocular surface disease index scores by McDonald, et al. (McDonald, M. B., D'Aversa, Perry H. D., et al. “Hydroxypropyl cellulose ophthalmic inserts (Lacrisert) reduce the signs and symptoms of dry eye syndrome.” Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc 107 (2009): 214-222). However, these treatments often require multiple administrations per day, and typically do not prevent long term damage to the ocular surface, often caused by the chemical being administered. For example, it is known that preservatives (e.g., benzalkonium chloride) can cause damage to the ocular surface and cause irritation.
Accordingly, the development of alternative treatments for dry eye syndrome would be useful. In particular, treatments that do not involve long term administration of drug therapy would be beneficial. Treatments with simplified administration regimens would further be desirable.